Former USC QB JT Daniels transfers to WVU, setting up reunion with Pitt’s Kedon Slovis

There is no public indication that the 2019 USC quarterback competition was anything but cordial. But for a reunion, the two primary participants might meet in a Brawl.

Former Trojans quarterback JT Daniels is transferring to West Virginia, and in the Mountaineers’ season opener Sept. 1 he could be matching up against Pitt’s Kedon Slovis in the Backyard Brawl.

Daniels beat out Slovis in a preseason camp competition for the USC starting quarterback job three years ago.

Slovis transferred to Pitt this past winter, and he is competing for the Panthers’ starting job with holdover Nick Patti. After spending the past two seasons at Georgia, Daniels is headed to WVU, according to a report from ESPN that was acknowledged by the official Twitter account of the West Virginia football program. The verified account also re-tweeted messages from coach Neal Brown and famous letterman Pat McAfee that tacitly acknowledged the Daniels transfer.

Let’s Go!!!

— Neal Brown (@NealBrown_WVU) April 13, 2022

Daniels, according to ESPN, told Brown of his decision Wednesday morning.

A former five-star recruit, Daniels was rated by Rivals as the fourth-best high school recruit in the country coming out of Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, Calif., in 2018. Two of the three players rated ahead of him were 2021 NFL first-round picks Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields; two spots below him was future Penn State star and NFL defensive rookie of the year Micah Parsons.

But the 6-foot-3, 210-pound Daniels has had a spotted college career. Although he started the season opener as a true freshman, he suffered a torn ACL in the 2019 opener. When Slovis starred the remainder of the season in his stead, Daniels elected to transfer across the country to SEC powerhouse Georgia.

But Daniels made only seven starts over his two seasons with the Bulldogs, this past season serving as backup to Stetson Bennett through Georgia’s run to the national title.